Palmer and Harris established the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) together in 1932, and in 1952 she replaced Harris as director, a post she occupied until 1978.[2] While at this position, Palmer oversaw the publication of 150 Bulletins of American Paleontology as well as 20 issues of Palaeontographica Americana.[2] As well as founding and overseeing the two publications, Palmer was a life trustee of both.[1] The same year that Palmer died (1982), she published the first history of the PRI,[3] securing her own, as well as the PRI's, legacy in print. Palmer's research produced more than 150 publications, including Gastropoda of the Claibornian Mid-Eocene of the Southern United States (1937), The Mollusca of the Jackson Eocene of the Mississippi Embayment (Sabine River to Alabama River) (1946), and Catalogue of the Paleocene, and Eocene Mollusca of the Southern and Eastern United States (1965), to name a few.[2] As well as conducting field studies in the United States, Palmer conducted research in the Gulf of Mexico,New Zealand, and the West Indies.[1] In 1935, Palmer was appointed Fellow of the Geological Society of America. Palmer was also president of the Malacological Society, an organization dedicated to the research and preservation of mollusks.[4] Palmer received the Paleontological Society Medal in 1972 as well as the Western Society of Malacologists Award in 1974 in honour of her lifelong contribution to geology.[1]

"Paleontology is Alive and Well: A Symposium in Honor of Dr. Katherine Van Winkle Palmer" was held at Tulane University in 1978, which included an Honorary Doctor of Science presentation from the University (1978)